Industrial sites and factories that house industrial control equipment are often the unfortunate recipients of electrical overvoltage events caused by power surges and equipment switching errors. As well, industrial sites are often in danger of being struck by lightning. In addition to the obvious issues that come with a lightning strike, the volume of consumed electricity that is necessary to keep most industrial applications online makes them especially susceptible to electricity-related damage. In order to minimize the damage to equipment caused by electrical surges, it is crucial to create a redundant electrical protection system for industrial sites.

Raycap is a world leader in the manufacture and installation of electrical protection components and systems. The company’s product line is specifically developed to protect large-scale industrial sites through a tiered installation solution that uses specifically designed products which minimize, divert and reduce electrical surges throughout the facilities whether caused by lightning or by grid or internally-generated overvoltage events. Raycap’s specialized products keep large spikes in the electrical flow from reaching vulnerable equipment through the implementation of redundant protection devices installed at specific points on electrical lines and junctions previous to the industrial equipment.

Different types of electrical events produce different levels of electrical surge, and Raycap has experience in creating products that protect many of the world’s largest industrial infrastructures. From telecommunications to new energy networks, and from transportation to industrial manufacturing facilities, Raycap solutions ensure equipment uptime in spite of harsh electrical environments. For example, water and wastewater treatment industrial systems are heavily dependent upon a series of pumps and variable frequency drives (VFDs) which can be extremely susceptible to damage from electrical surges. In these applications Raycap recommends busbar assemblies with its unique Strikesorb surge protection technology be integrated directly into the equipment by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) in order to protect the VFDs.

Lightning strikes produce the highest level of electrical surge, and therefore hold the potential for the greatest damage to industrial sites. Direct strikes to equipment can result in complete equipment loss, so the installation of overhead shielding devices and grounds is paramount. Surges that travel through power lines either through a strike to the line itself or a coupling effect that happens when a structure is struck, are reduced to manageable levels through installation of electrical protection technology at multiple positions “downstream” from the strike and at junction boxes.

Switching errors or circuit degradation through ongoing switching on or off of equipment is a more insidious, longer term producer of damage, happening due to the minor surges that are produced when equipment is started up or shut down. Once again, the continual monitoring of the electrical levels for transients and their effective reduction is the reason surge protection is needed in virtually every industrial site. Contact Raycap today to find out more.